State bird of Jammu and Kashmir – complete detail – updated

State bird of Jammu and Kashmir – complete detail – updated. Description of state bird of Jammu and Kashmir. Name of the state bird of Jammu and Kashmir is Black necked crane. Habit and habitat of Black necked crane. They found at high elevation during summer, between 2900 and 4500 meters on Tibetan Plateau. They breeds in grassy wetlands, pastures, meadows, marshes, along streams and lakes. They reaches lower altitude in winter, down to 1350 meters, in open country, cultivated areas, and sometimes rice fields……………

The color of body is whitish-grey, with black head and red crown patch. Lower parts of the wings and the tail are grayish black. The nest site is usually a pre-existing mud island inside a large shallow wetland. Legs are long and strong, and grayish black in color. Both sexes are similar, but males tend to be slightly larger in size. Juveniles have yellow brown feathers on the crown, and a…………..

Eyes are yellow in color, and have a small patch of white feathers below and behind the eye. The upper neck is black. The bill is long and strong, and dirty yellow in color. The tail is black, and the upper tail coverts are grayish, and have black primaries, secondaries and upper tail feathers. The inner flight feathers are elongated and curve downwards…………..

Black necked crane is a omnivorous bird. Breeding and nesting season is between March to June. Age of sexual maturity is between 2 to 3 years. During the breeding season, the Black-necked Crane is found in high wetlands.

Distinctive Identification

Black necked crane is a Schedule – I bird, according to wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 and classified as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN.

Size of adult Black-necked crane is between 130 to 140 cm. The weight of adult is between 5.0 to 6.0 kg. They have a wingspan of 170 to 200 cm.

The color of body is whitish-grey, with black head and red crown patch. Lower parts of the wings and the tail are grayish black.

Legs are long and strong, and grayish black in color. Eyes are yellow in color, and have a small patch of white feathers below and behind the eye. The upper neck is black. The bill is long and strong, and dirty yellow in color.

The tail is black, and the upper tail coverts are grayish, and have black primaries, secondaries and upper tail feathers. The inner flight feathers are elongated and curve downwards.

Both sexes are similar, but males tend to be slightly larger in size. Juveniles have yellow brown feathers on the crown, and a gray abdomen.

Young black necked crane have yellow brown feathers on the crown, a grey abdomen, greyish yellow back and black and white feathers alternate on the neck.

Classification

Common Name – Black-necked crane

Zoological Name – Grus nigricollis

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Chordata

Class – Aves

Order – Gruiformes

Family – Gruidae

Genus – Grus

Conservational Status – Schedule – I, according to wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 and classified as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN.

Distribution

The Black-necked Crane has an exclusive range between the altitudes of 3500 meters to 5500 meters in the tablelands of Central Asia. These Cranes have been recorded from eastern Ladakh, southern Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh to Szechwan, Yunan and Vietnam.

They occurs on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau in China, with a small additional population occurring in India and Bhutan.

Black-necked Cranes breeding range includes much of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China, with a small breeding population occurring in adjacent Ladakh in India. Wintering grounds include lower elevations of the Qinghai-Tibet and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateaus in China, with some birds occurring in Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.

Habit and habitat

They found at high elevation during summer, between 2900 and 4500 meters on Tibetan Plateau. They breeds in grassy wetlands, pastures, meadows, marshes, along streams and lakes. They reaches lower altitude in winter, down to 1350 meters, in open country, cultivated areas, and sometimes rice fields.

They are good fliers. They takes flight by running into the wind to gain speed before to lift into the air by pushing with the large wings.

Black necked cranes are social in nature and forage on the ground in small groups. These birds are very wary, but in some areas they are accustomed to the local people who do not disturb them. They forages in wetlands, streams and pastures by walking.

Breeding and nesting season is between March to June. Age of sexual maturity is between 2 to 3 years.

During the breeding season, the Black-necked Crane is found in high wetlands. Mated pairs engage in unison calling with the bill held upwards. Displays are usually initiated by females, and then, all the cranes engage in dancing, including bowing, jumping and running.

The nest site is usually a pre-existing mud island inside a large shallow wetland. It is made with aquatic vegetation, sedges, grass and mud.

Eggs 1 or 2, dull-white or brown in color. Incubation period is between 30 to 34 days. Both adults share the incubation.

They fledge about three months after hatching. Till the time when the young ones are able to fly, the family kept moving around the nesting location, but later the family started traveling far and wide in the course of a day. The average lifespan of black necked cranes is between 20 to 30 years.